Before we turn our attention to the NFL regular season, let’s examine the developments from the final week of the preseason that are worth remembering during your fantasy drafts.
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Fantasy Football Takeaways: NFL Preseason Week 3
TeSlaa Aces Early Tests
The Lions traded a pair of future third-round draft picks to trade up in the third round of this year’s draft to take receiver Isaac TeSlaa. It looks as if Lions GM Brad Holmes knew what he was doing.
In four preseason games — the Lions had an extra one with the Hall of Fame Game — TeSlaa has 10 receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns, and a few of those catches were highlight-reel material.
TeSlaa has likely surpassed oft-injured veteran Tim Patrick to become Detroit’s No. 3 receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, and the rookie might be one injury away from fantasy relevance. TeSlaa is only draftable in the deepest of fantasy leagues, but he’s worth putting on waiver wire speed dial.
Houston Backfield Check-In
Texans running back Joe Mixon continues to be sidelined by a foot injury, and there has been no indication that his return is imminent. The Texans held running back Nick Chubb out of their last preseason game along with the rest of the starters, which means he’s a near-lock to start until Mixon is back.
Dameon Pierce was Houston’s starting running back against the Lions on Saturday, playing 10 snaps and carrying seven times for 17 yards. Rookie running back Woody Marks came in on the Texans’ second drive and wound up with 6-19-1 rushing and 3-20-1 receiving.
It’s hard to tell how Pierce and Marks will be used while Mixon is out, but it seems as if Pierce still outranks Marks, at least for early-down snaps. However, Marks might be better qualified for passing-down work.
A Good Sign for ‘Bill’
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, AKA “Bill,” and Austin Ekeler were held out of the Commanders’ final preseason game, but Chris Rodriguez started and played eight snaps. That suggests Rodriguez, despite starting ahead of Croskey-Merritt a week earlier, is probably the No. 3 running back in Washington, with Croskey-Merritt likely to start and be the primary early-down back.
Still, Rodriguez is a worthwhile late-round flier. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn last week said that Rodriguez will get some short-yardage usage, which could mean valuable goal-line work.
Bits and Pieces
- Saints wide receiver Chris Olave is getting a lot of slot snaps in head coach Kellen Moore’s offense. Yes, there are concussion and quarterback concerns with Olave, but slot usage should funnel some easy completions toward Olave and bolster his fantasy value.
- Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims continued to play full-time with the starters. It looks like Mims will be more than just a gadget guy this year. He’s a worthwhile late-round pick. So is second-year Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin, who played with Broncos quarterback Bo Nix at the University of Oregon and appears to have ascended to No. 3 on Denver’s wide receiver depth chart.
- Rookie running back Ollie Gordon has looked good in the preseason. He had eight carries for 48 yards in the Dolphins’ regular-season finale, and the sixth-round pick seems to be pushing his way past Jaylen Wright for the No. 2 spot on Miami’s running back depth chart behind De’Von Achane. Wright, who missed the preseason finale with a leg injury, is no longer a reasonable late-round flier in fantasy drafts.
- Rookie running back Cam Skattebo, a fourth-round draft pick, got his first taste of preseason action for the Giants after recovering from a hamstring injury, playing 10 snaps and carrying three times for 12 yards. Skattebo could eventually push Tyrone Tracy Jr. for lead-back status, but for now, Skattebo might be No. 3 on the depth chart behind Devin Singletary.
- The Rams held second-year running back Blake Corum out of their final preseason game but played rookie Jarquez Hunter. If you’re intent on handcuffing lead running back Kyren Williams, Corum looks like the preferred option.
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